


Sanctuary

by mysteriol



Category: Final Fantasy VII (Video Game 1997), Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Fluff, Lime, Marriage, Married Life, Post-Final Fantasy VII, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-15
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:00:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24736564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mysteriol/pseuds/mysteriol
Summary: Fatherhood doesn’t come easy for Cloud Strife. But being an excellent husband…that might prove easier. [ Warning –  fluffy, pointless Cloud x Aerith lime inserted, set in a future after Remake ]“Oh Cloud, we’ll always be as young as we want to be.”“Really? Have you seen my eye circles, Aerith? They scream ‘sleep-deprived-dad-cum-mercenary-of-all-trades’.”
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife
Comments: 15
Kudos: 75





	Sanctuary

**Author's Note:**

> a/n:  
> AKA how I envision family/marriage life for Clerith LOL ok sue me …not. 
> 
> Possibly AU because we don’t know what Square will bless or curse us with Aerith’s fate in Remake part 2/3 however parts we might end up getting. That’s not to say I can’t imagine a happy future where our bodyguard and flower girl end up together, happily married. 😊 
> 
> Yep in this chapter, they live out their fairytale. Who knew fatherhood would one day be bestowed upon our Cloud Strife? 
> 
> Pure unadulterated family fluff and love…and marriage lime and everything in between Whoohoo!! Aahhh (grabs hold of my nearest bedroom plushie)
> 
> Myst-san

Cloud was having a migraine.

He needed aspirins. Like, right now. Before he passed out from the lack of oxygen feeding into his brain. Part of him wanted to wrangle the Grade 3 Mathematics textbook in his hands and burnt its pages with Firaga, the other part screamed to model fatherly patience and coolness in front of his 8 year old son.

Fighting monsters, spearing his sword into a certain silver-haired madman, chasing after whispers and ghostly apparitions, all that he could do.

Algebra, fractions, ratios – even at Grade 3 level, _hurt_ his damned brains.

“Dad,” his son’s brilliant blue eyes bore into Mako-infused ones - the latter certainly older, but at this point…maybe not mathematically the wiser. Cloud was willing himself not to succumb to the small hint of a snide in his son’s tone, “Dad, you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“Uh…” Cloud bit his lips and pretended to focus really hard on the textbook page. He held a pencil between his fingers, spinning it in circles to distract himself from nervousness. It was hard to keep his cool in front of his increasingly smart son, who was taking after Cloud way too much to his consternation. “Just give me a minute, ok, Sora?”

“Dad, you know I can always ask Vincent if you’re not sure, you know. He’s much better at Math and numbers than you are.” A roll of eyes.

Cloud narrowed his eyes. Wow, talk about an ego boost. His son was excellent at it, at the age of 8. “Sora, it’s _Mister_ Vincent. He’s not your best friend. Do we need another hour sitting here prepping you about manners?”

Sora sighed in resignation beside his father. Then he gave an easy beam, one that reached his lips so easily and reminded Cloud so quickly of someone. If anything the older man was thankful for, was that Sora’s energy and liveliness took after his mother, not _him._

_I would die if my son took a hundred percent after me. Imagine having another snarky ass, laconic, stoic, too cool for anything human being to exist in this world aside from me._

Cloud took comfort in picturing Sora’s mother when he closed his eyes. Peace settled quickly into his heart.

“Harloooo??” A hand waved into his line of vision, jolting him grouchily back to reality. Sora was trying not to burst out laughing at his father’s distractedness. “Are you daydreaming, dad!? When I’m asking you to solve a Math equation for me?”

“You know what,” Cloud’s eyes narrowed. His patience for his son had run thin. It was like dealing with a mirror image of his younger self. That smart aleck who thought he was smarter than everyone at everything! “Sora Strife, if you’re so smart, maybe you shouldn’t have come home with a B on your Grammar test last week.”

“I knew it, dad! You still hold a grudge against me for that!” Sora folded his arms tight across his chest, looking grumpily at the spikey blonde hair man. “All my classmates were getting Cs and Ds and I got a B. Time for you to be proud of me maybe, dad?”

“Hip hip hurrah.” Cloud said dryly.

Sora knitted his eyebrows together. “You’re a dull man, dad.”

“Well guess it runs in the blood, son.”

“’Least I got Mommy’s amazing brains!” Sora flashed a bubbly grin, offering Cloud a hi-five. “Agree to agree?”

Cloud sighed, not harshly. His palm met his son’s midway in the air. “Yes, thank Gaia for that, shall we, Sora?”

“And Mommy’s charm! Mommy’s wits! Her people skills! Her energy!” Sora pumped his fists proudly into the air, then directed his fists down at himself, “All that, to make me Sora Strife the number one most popular boy in school now, dad! All the teachers love me!”

Cloud’s right reaction would be to bury his head in his hands and wondered if he had raised his son right. But he couldn’t help it – watching his son talk about his mom like this and how Sora’s eyes had burst with love and wonder and so much affection…

A soft smile grew on Cloud’s lips.

_Yup, I love her, too, kiddo…_

“And one day, when I am old enough, Dad,” Sora was rambling on and on about his future aspirations, like he always did when he was excited, or simply procrastinating from finishing his homework (Cloud believed it to be the latter today), “I will be strong and amazing like you and learn how to fight the bad guys and then marry the woman of my life like you did! That’s my happy ending, Daddy!”

“Uh…” Cloud really didn’t want to burst his 8 year old son’s bubble. Little kid looked too pleased with himself for anything to shatter his child-like lofty imagination. “If you say so, son.”

Cloud then found himself knitting his eyebrows together, “Wait, who is the woman of your life, Sora?”

To which his son blushed fifty shades of crimson, very much uncharacteristic of his usually unabashed personality. “If I tell you, it has to be a secret ok!”

Cloud suppressed a laugh. He offered his son a pinkie finger without hesitating. “Daddy’s secret.”

“Don’t you dare, don’t you dare, tell Mommy! She will have my head!” Sora was shouting now.

Now, Cloud was interested. “Ok, Sora, just between us. Father and son, yep?”

Sora returned Cloud’s pinkie finger, then learnt in to whisper in Cloud’s eyes, “One day, I’m going to marry Marlene and we will grow old together and live in a big, gorgeous castle atop of Cosmo Canyon!”

Cloud decided not to break his son’s soul and crush his heart by telling Sora two facts. One, that Marlene was _a lot_ older than Sora and this imaginary relationship wouldn’t really work, and two, Marlene who was all grown up now blossoming well into a lovely, fine looking lady and had a long line of suitors going after her. His son was going to have a ton of competition.

“Uh…well,” he offered his son a weak smile instead, “Good luck… I guess?”

“Thanks dad! You’re the best!” Sora affectionately dove into his father’s arms, startling the daylights out of Cloud. He hugged Cloud so hard, it nearly crushed his chest in suffocation. But Cloud didn’t mind one bit. The older man couldn’t help a smile settling into the corner of his eyes, making his Mako blue orbs twinkle in unmistakable fatherly amusement.

“Are we still up for finishing your Math homework?” Cloud reminded Sora.

“Aww… can’t we do something else? I’m bored.” Sora began to jump excitedly, then let his tone drop into a whisper again. “Besides, Mom won’t know if we’re going to sneakily do something else, right?”

This time it was his son offering him a pinkie promise. Was…Sora blackmailing him emotionally!?

Cloud decided to cave in. He had to. Looking into oceanic pools of eyes that reflected only a spitting image of himself, and worst, reminded him of the woman he loved most, it was difficult, _no_ , impossible, to say no.

“Alright, Sora, go turn on the TV and load up the video game console—”

“HELL YEAH!!!!!” Sora was already dashing off.

“Sora! You’re going to wake your little sis—” Cloud warned.

Too late. The sound of a little girl’s screaming pierced into the air.

Cloud wanted to throttle himself. Or his son. Maybe both.

_Shit, shit, shit!_

“Sorry, Dad! Didn’t mean to wake Luna up!” Sora said, but definitely had not sounded in any way apologetic. He was hurrying to load up the video game console in the living room, ignoring the little toddler in the corner of the living room now announcing to everyone very loudly that she was awake with her vocal cries.

Cloud rushed to tend to his other 4 year old daughter, now beginning to turn the entire living room’s floor into a shade of dark blue with the crayon in her hand. She had only awakened for two minutes, apparently picked up a piece of crayon from nowhere, and was now turning the floor a canvas of blue for her little explorative art work.

“No….” Cloud looked on, horrified at the disastrous sight unfolding before him.

He dashed to clean up the mess, as Sora screamed into his ears to hurry up.

Nobody had warned him fatherhood was going to be this nuts.

It had mostly started awkward at first, him trying to find a way to be a role model for his two children. But slowly, gently, he had eased into it as enthusiastically as he had first discovered his love for motorbikes and swords. He learnt eventually that anything that drove him mad, would also end up creating a whole bubble of warmth to permanently plant in the pit of his chest, taking the most room in his heart.

Fatherhood wasn’t easy for sure. In fact, even after 8 years – bless his children, Cloud still found himself fumbling for things like a clumsy oaf to appease his young ones, tripping over his words to find the right thing to say so he could sound like a proper, cool dad, or even spending sleepless nights trying to think how he could make their lives better. Whether he could take on more merc jobs, earn more, buy them more things, be there more often for them… Thoughts like these occupied his head increasingly on the double, overcoming the old, banished nightmares of saving the world and hunting after deranged monsters.

Yep. Cloud Strife wouldn’t trade all this for the world.

…Fatherhood was hard as hell, but he _friggin’ loved_ every minute.

* * *

“Heya.” A quiet whisper slowly aroused him from slumber.

Cloud opened a sleepy eye, still groggy. He looked disoriented. He rested a hand on his forehead as he tried to remember where and what happened. He immediately sat up, memories all flooding back of how he had spent hours letting Sora beat him in Super Mario Kart, of how Luna had gone off on a tangent screaming ambulance sirens around the house and throwing toilet paper all over the floor… How it had finally taken a _miraculous_ moment he prayed for that usually never happened, to finally materialize to dispel all his miseries this afternoon.

Yuffie and Marlene had showed up at his door, offering to babysit the kids today. Cloud had nearly fainted in gratefulness. His lifesaviors. He never knew gratitude could run so deep from being removed of fatherly duties until today. Sora had happily dumped his video game in favor of spending time with Marlene. So off they went.

Cloud’s tense shoulders relaxed. He had been startled by the sight of the empty house left in a disastrous trail of mess, but at least now he remembered his kids were safe.

“Hey, relax, daddy bodyguard.” A familiar tease tore him out of his momentary trance. He looked up into familiar emerald eyes shining into his with sheer love and affection. Cloud felt himself melt. He never wanted anything, loved anything more. His heart was so full and light, the world around him spun in flight.

Even more so now, with Aerith seated by his side on their living room sofa, her arms snaking around his sturdy waist, head leaning into his firm chest. “Don’t worry, Cloud, they’re safe. Yuffie just texted to say they’re out at Evergreen Park for some ice cream today. She’ll bring them back before dark.”

Cloud inhaled his wife’s shampoo. It had been literal years, but he never got sick of the scent of strawberry and lavender awashing all over his senses. It propelled him lighter than air. He breathed in every inch of her, strong arms going around her small waist, drawing her closer to him if any more possible.

Was she truly a masterpiece, a wonder? Two children after, and she still looked like as stunning as _this_. Cloud wondered how blessed he was to savor this moment and be alive to witness her beauty.

“Okay.” He replied, eyes acquiring a softness as Aerith started to run her fingers up and down his spine in a bid to soothe his tired bones. She knew how much he liked it after a hard, long day looking after the kids; how it relaxed him. Cloud reminded himself to breathe, cheeks turning flushed.

He chortled inwardly. Husband and wife with two kids- and his wife still had this innate ability to make him swoon under her touch. Aerith had him wrapped around her finger, every last inch of it. Cloud didn’t mind a bit.

“Feel better?” Aerith looked up into his eyes, a smile gracing her lips.

“With you here?” Cloud suppressed a yawn. God, he really was permanently sleep-deprived. Fatherhood did all kinds of absurd things to you. “Much.”

She responded by touching her fingers to his lips. His heart skidded for a second, or two. His lips burnt where her touch grazed.

“Still such a sweet-talker in your thirties.” She teased.

Cloud rolled his eyes. “Getting older by the minute as we speak.”

“Oh, you.” She chided, lightheartedly, “We’ll always be as young as we want to be.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “Really? Have you seen my eye circles, Aerith? They scream ‘sleep-deprived dad-cum-mercenary-of-all-trades’.”

That caused her to break into fits of giggles. She nuzzled her nose into his chest. He ran a hand gently through his wife’s hair, entangling them between his fingers.

“Thank you, Cloud,” she said so softly, he had nearly missed it.

He pulled away slightly, staring down into her eyes in puzzlement. “For what?”

She smiled in answer. Cloud admired how she looked so fetching as the daylight sifted through the windows, illuminating the features of her face. He felt such an explosive incandescent love for her, his chest was nearly bursting like fireworks.

“For just…being a fantastic dad, Cloud.”

He puffed, almost snorting. “You mean, _trying_ to be a fantastic dad, Aerith.”

“No, no,” she shook her head, burgundy tendrils falling into her eyes, “You have to believe it, Cloud. Sora…Luna. They _love_ you.”

“They better.” He pulled a boyish pout. 

“Oh you,” she teased him, her fingers proceeding to push the corners of his pout gently up into the tilt of a forced smile, “You _are_ wonderful, Cloud. At everything you do. As a father, at your job—”

“As a husband?” He asked, the faintest of mischief lighting up in his Mako blue eyes. She caught it, anyway.

“Hm…” She drew closer to him, cherishing their embrace. Her eyes emitted playfulness, though not entirely concealing the mix of boundless tenderness and love that now swam through them. “Well, Cloud Strife, that -- you will have a few hours to make me decide.”

Few hours…before Yuffie and Marlene returned the kids home. 

_…More than enough time._

Warmth seeped into his chest, so full and whole, it enveloped his entire soul. He didn’t care, not at all.

He encased his wife into his embrace so close, he could hear her skipping heart against his. He melded her to his form, their faces now only inches apart.

“Challenge accepted, _Aerith Strife_.”

And the last thing he saw before he shut his eyes to capture her mouth fiercely with his, was she, too, closing her eyes to kiss him back.

A fire simmered where her touch scorched, her searching fingers leaving a trail of invisible embers against his skin in its wake. Cloud was pressing hungry kisses against the nape of her neck the way he knew she liked, emanating a soft moan from her lips. As she reached beneath the fabric of his shirt, feeling his hard muscles under his exterior, her breaths began to quicken, then quaver shakily. His heart created constant thunders against the rhythm of their heartbeats, now synced as one.

When she let slip his name pulling his shirt over his shoulders, it was his undoing. Tossing his shirt across the room carelessly, Cloud gently lowered his wife on the sofa, lying atop of her so he could admire the way her hair cascaded like waterfall over the cushions. His fingers purposefully teased the spaghetti straps of her top, then in one smooth movement, had tug them roughly down the bare skin of her shoulders. He was moving at a fevered pace, riding on tremor of waves with her beneath him.

“Tsk, patience, Mister Merc.” She teased, the hotness of her breath against his neck sending his thoughts into overdrive. He had abandoned all caution and self-control to the wind at this point. 

“Not with you, Mrs. Strife,” his tone was suddenly husky, a few notches deeper as he extended one hand to haltingly reach under, between the satin skin of her legs.

Aerith exhaled, her eyes suddenly lidded as she felt Cloud’s fingers drawing slow but gentle paths up her thighs, climbing higher, higher… and then finally sought what he was looking for - reaching out to pull the fabric separating them. The lacey material tore in his frenzied fingers.

“Hey,” she squeaked, not in protest, “you’re going to have to buy me new lingerie now, Mister.”

“Got to love shopping with the wife.” Mirth lit up in his eyes, coupled with a look so intense at the woman he loved before him, it seared into Aerith’s skin, burning altogether with his touch now leaving a trail back up her stomach as he removed her dress sliding down her knees easily.

She sucked in her breath as his fingers traced over the small scars on the skin of her abdomen, the aftermath of her C-section pregnancy births. She knew she had lost some of her attractiveness and physique since having two children. She often wondered if her husband minded at all—

“Still beautiful,” he instantly murmured, planting a kiss against her scars, “no, _more_ beautiful than ever.”

She couldn’t help it. Even being present before her husband whom she had wed for nearly 10 years now, she found herself blushing a few shades deeper. “Oh, silly, you don’t have to lie to me—”

“I’m not,” He answered her seriously, now hovering above her, eyes intensely staring, “You _are_ beautiful, Aerith.”

Aerith’s heart melted, a glassy look brimming her eyes. The way he looked at her with so much boyish honesty and blunt sincerity. How could this handsome, dreadfully gorgeous man be her husband? She had wished for the stars and got the moon. He was everything and more.

Distinct playfulness returned to her eyes, not betraying the way his quick breaths was still sending shudders down her spine. It was hard to think coherent thoughts when Cloud was licking her ear lobes.

“Always a sweet talker,” she teased, her fingers tenderly caressing his waist, then carefully undid the zip of his pants, “ _prove it_.”

“Yes, mam,” he drew himself above her, and then let his mouth wholly swoop in to devour hers once more.

If bliss was a sea, then Aerith was the wave he wanted to ride until he would meet gracious shores with her by his side.

As the afternoon heat and stupor claimed them into a sanctuary of bliss separate from the hustle and bustle of the world outside, Cloud was certain of one thing –

Fatherhood was hard as hell, no shit, but being an excellent husband as Cloud Strife, _that_ he would show her how he always had his ace in the hole.

**FIN**

* * *

a/n:

well, I almost went THAT way didn’t I. AHEM!!!!

Ok, it’s late and let’s leave it there. Haha. ALL THAT DAMN THEORY OF Kingdom Hearts SORA BEING THE LOVECHILD of Cloud and Aerith have gotten into my head. You have to admit – it IS a plausible theory because Sora does look like their offspring lol with his blue eyes and brown hair I didn’t know what to call Sora’s little sister so I just named her Luna after FFXV’s Lunafreya. It does have a nice ring to it. Sora named after the sky, his sister after the moon. Cloud after the sky, Aerith after the earth. Well maybe it’s just me coming up with strange celestial concepts again. LOL OOPS.

It’s late and thus I bid my farewell.

If you felt the fluff and is now cocooning in mighty fluff, comment/review hehe XD

you WILL make my day, promise.

Myst-san


End file.
